The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (c. 32) is an
act of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace ...
that was introduced by the
Home Office
The Home Office (HO), also known (especially in official papers and when referred to in Parliament) as the Home Department, is the United Kingdom's interior ministry. It is responsible for public safety and policing, border security, immigr ...
and the
Ministry of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
.
It gives more power to the police, criminal justice, and sentencing legislation, and it encompasses restrictions on "unacceptable" protests, crimes against children, and sentencing limits. It was passed by the
Houses of Parliament
The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...
on 26 April 2022 and received
Royal Assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in othe ...
on 28 April 2022.
The UK Government describe the act as:
The act reduced the maximum sentence for public nuisance offences from life imprisonment to 10 years imprisonment.
[ 18px Text was copied from this source, which is available under th]
Open Parliament Licence v3.0
© UK Parliament. The new law also allows senior police officers to give directions and impose conditions, including beginning and end times of protests, on those organising or taking part in either a procession or assembly that the police decide are necessary to prevent disorder, damage, disruption, noise impact or intimidation.
The law is controversial, and led to protests under the slogan "Kill the Bill" in various British cities before it had come into force. It has received fierce criticism both locally and internationally by various politicians,
human rights groups
A human rights group, or human rights organization, is a non-governmental organization which advocates for human rights through identification of their violation, collecting incident data, its analysis and publication, promotion of public awareness ...
, journalists and academics, due to the impact on
free expression
Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recognise ...
,
freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...
and the
right to protest
The right to protest may be a manifestation of the right to freedom of assembly, the right to freedom of association, and the right to freedom of speech. Additionally, protest and restrictions on protest have lasted as long as governments have.
...
in the United Kingdom.
Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...
referred to the bill as a "dark day for civil liberties" and "deeply-authoritarian".
Measures that were rejected in this bill by the
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
, which gave further powers such as banning individuals from protests outright, were reintroduced the following year under the
Public Order Act 2023
The Public Order Act 2023 (c. 15), referred to during its passage through Parliament as the public order bill and the anti-protest bill, is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which gave law enforcement agencies in the United Kingd ...
and came into force.
Background
Control of protests
Since 2019, there have been significant
direct action
Direct action is a term for economic and political behavior in which participants use agency—for example economic or physical power—to achieve their goals. The aim of direct action is to either obstruct a certain practice (such as a governm ...
campaigns by
pressure groups
Advocacy groups, also known as lobby groups, interest groups, special interest groups, pressure groups, or public associations, use various forms of advocacy or lobbying to influence public opinion and ultimately public policy. They play an impor ...
in the UK. In April and October 2019, large protests were held by
Extinction Rebellion
Extinction Rebellion (abbreviated as XR) is a UK-founded global environmental movement, with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and ...
, and the
Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...
movement held large protests in the summer of 2020. In autumn 2021, significant protests were conducted by
Insulate Britain
A series of protests by the group Insulate Britain involving traffic obstruction began on 13 September 2021. The group blockaded the M25 and other motorways in the United Kingdom, and roads in London and the Port of Dover.
The protesters dem ...
.
Some of these protests have involved disruptive direct action. The bill can be viewed as in response to Extinction Rebellion protests, whose activists used adhesives to attach themselves to public transport vehicles. In June 2020, the statue of philanthropist and slave trader
Edward Colston
Edward Colston (2 November 1636 – 11 October 1721) was an English merchant, Atlantic slave trade, slave trader, philanthropy, philanthropist and Tories (British political party), Tory Member of Parliament.
Colston followed his father in th ...
was toppled during a Black Lives Matter protest. The statue was a
Grade II listed structure
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
, although four individuals charged with criminal damage for removing the statue were found not guilty at
Bristol Crown Court
The Bristol Crown Court is a Crown Court venue which deals with criminal cases at Small Street in Bristol, England. The building, which was completed in 1868, was previously used as a main post office before it was converted for judicial use in ...
on 5 January 2022. Activists from Insulate Britain have used adhesives to attach themselves to the road surface at entrances to the
M25 Motorway
The M25 or London Orbital Motorway is a major ring road encircling most of Greater London. The motorway is one of the most important roads in the UK and one of the busiest. Margaret Thatcher opened the final section in 1986, making the M25 th ...
.
The new methods of direct action have been controversial. An opinion poll by
YouGov
YouGov plc is a international Internet-based market research and data analytics firm headquartered in the UK with operations in Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
History
2000–2010
Stephan Shakespeare and Nadhim ...
in October 2019 found that 36% of those surveyed supported disruption to public transport by Extinction Rebellion, whilst 54% opposed. In one instance, members of the public removed the protesters from a train at
Canning Town Underground Station
Canning Town is an interchange station located in Canning Town, London for London Underground, Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and London Buses services.
It is designed as an intermodal metro and bus station, opening in 1999 as part of the Jubi ...
. A YouGov poll in October 2019 found that 63% of those surveyed sympathised more with the commuters than the protestors, and 13% sympathised more with the protestors. In June 2020, a survey by
Policy Exchange
Policy Exchange is a British conservative think tank based in London. In 2007 it was described in ''The Daily Telegraph'' as "the largest, but also the most influential think tank on the right". Policy Exchange is a registered charity; it most ...
found that 25% of people are in favour of removing statues of individuals who earned significant wealth from the Transatlantic Slave Trade, whilst 65% believe that the statues should continue to stand. Opinion polling conducted by YouGov on 5–6 October 2021 found that 72% of those surveyed opposed the actions of Insulate Britain activists, with 18% supporting the actions, and 10% that did not know.
According to the UK Government "the
National Police Chief’s Council have expressed concerns that existing public order legislation is outdated and no longer appropriate for responding to the highly disruptive protest tactics used by some groups today".
The government have further stated that "the measures in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill will improve the police’s ability to manage such protests, enabling them to balance the rights of protesters against the rights of others to go about their daily business, and to dedicate their resources to keeping the public safe".
Tougher sentences for child cruelty and neglect
The adoptive family of
Tony Hudgell, injured as an infant by his birth parents, started a campaign for tougher sentences for child cruelty and neglect,
and their cause was taken up by their local MP for
Tonbridge and Malling
Tonbridge and Malling is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Kent, England. The council is based at Kings Hill. The borough also includes the towns of Tonbridge an ...
,
Tom Tugendhat
Thomas Georg John Tugendhat (born 27 June 1973) is a British politician who has been the Member of Parliament (UK), Member of Parliament (MP) for Tonbridge (UK Parliament constituency), Tonbridge, previously Tonbridge and Malling (UK Parliamen ...
, who introduced a Child Cruelty (Sentences) Bill in the House of Commons in 2019.
While this was not pursued, its core measures were incorporated in the Government's Bill.
The act
The act was enacted in April 2022 and includes major proposals by the
Johnson government to reform the criminal justice system.
As criminal justice is largely a
devolved
Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories ...
matter, the provisions of the act primarily only extend to
England and Wales
England and Wales () is one of the Law of the United Kingdom#Legal jurisdictions, three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Th ...
, although some provisions apply to
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
and
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
.
Provisions in the act include allowing judges to give
whole life order
In England and Wales, life imprisonment is a sentence that lasts until the death of the prisoner, although in most cases the prisoner will be eligible for parole after a minimum term ("tariff") set by the judge. In exceptional cases a judge may ...
s (life imprisonment with no possibility of parole) for the premeditated murder of a child; the maximum sentence for causing or allowing a child's death was increased from 14 years to life, while the maximum penalty for causing serious harm to a child was increased from 10 to 14 years.
Judges could also give life sentences for drivers who kill behind the wheel. The maximum sentence for criminal damage to a memorial was increased from 3 months to 10 years.
The act expands police powers allowing officers widespread access to private education and health care records, and suspicionless
stop and search Stop and search or Stop and frisk is a term used to describe the powers of the police to search a person, place or object without first making an arrest.
Examples in specific jurisdictions include:
* in England and Wales
* in Scotland
* Terry stop ...
.
It contains
trespass
Trespass is an area of tort law broadly divided into three groups: trespass to the person (see below), trespass to chattels, and trespass to land.
Trespass to the person historically involved six separate trespasses: threats, assault, battery ...
provisions, which make "residing on land without consent in or with a vehicle" a criminal offense. Under the new offence, a person can be criminalised for disobeying the instruction of a private citizen, which does not have to be made in writing.
Following the bill's first defeat, the government added an amendment that would repeal the
Vagrancy Act 1824
The Vagrancy Act 1824 ( 5 Geo. 4. c. 83) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that makes it an offence to sleep rough or beg in England and Wales. The legislation was passed in Georgian England to combat the increasing number o ...
, described as "offensive and outdated".
Harper's Law
On 15 August 2019, police constable Andrew Harper was killed near Sulhamstead, Berkshire, England in the line of duty. Harper and a fellow officer were responding to a report of a burglary, after which Harper was dragged behind a car for a mile ...
, which extends mandatory life sentences for manslaughter of an emergency worker on duty, was also included in the bill.
Effects on public assembly
Part 3 of the act gives police forces broad authority to place restrictions on protests and public assembly. Under previous UK legislation, police must show that a protest may cause "serious public disorder, serious damage to property or serious disruption to the life of the community" before imposing any restrictions.
Under this act, police forces are allowed to place restrictions on protests they believe would otherwise constitute an existing offence of
public nuisance
In English criminal law, public nuisance is an act, condition or thing that is illegal because it interferes with the rights of the general public.
In Australia
In ''Kent v Johnson'', the Supreme Court of the ACT held that public nuisance is ...
, including imposing starting and finishing times and noise limits, and be able to consider actions by one individual as protests under provisions of the act. Protestors disobeying such instructions from the police may be committing a criminal offence.
Home Office minister
Victoria Atkins
Victoria Mary Atkins (born 22 March 1976) is a British politician who served in various ministerial positions under Prime Ministers Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak between 2017 and 2024, lastly as Secretary of State for Health and S ...
said the bill updates the
Public Order Act 1986
The Public Order Act 1986 (c. 64) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that creates a number of public order offences. They replace similar common law offences and parts of the Public Order Act 1936. It implements recommendations and drew a distinction between peaceful protest and "activities which inhibit the lives of people".
Robert Buckland
Sir Robert James Buckland (born 22 September 1968) is a British politician who served as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice from 2019 to 2021, and as Secretary of State for Wales from July to October 2022. A member of the Conse ...
,
Secretary of State for Justice
The secretary of state for justice is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Ministry of Justice. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. Since the office's inception ...
, said regarding the bill and protests: "We've got to think about the sometimes huge inconvenience caused to other people going about their lawful business."
Response
The bill is controversial, prior to and after it was passed. It was welcomed by the
Police Federation of England and Wales
The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) is the statutory staff association for police constables, sergeants, inspectors, chief inspectors and special constables in the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales. Under UK la ...
, while the
Association of Police and Crime Commissioners
A police and crime commissioner (PCC; ) is an elected official in England and Wales responsible for generally overseeing police services. A police, fire and crime commissioner (PFCC) is an elected official in England responsible for generally ...
(APCC), a group of elected officials in England and Wales, registered their disagreement with the bill. On the topic of proposed legally-binding restrictions on protests, the APCC chair
Paddy Tipping stated: "I think politicians would be wise to leave decisions to the responsible people." Tipping added that "they've got to leave people to make local decisions in local circumstances." In March 2021, Michael Barton and
Peter Fahy
Sir Peter Martin Fahy (born 18 January 1959 in London, England) is a retired senior British police officer. He was the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police (GMP), the United Kingdom's third largest police force. He retired from the po ...
, the former
chief constables of
Durham Constabulary
Durham Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the council areas of County Durham and Darlington in North East England. It does not cover all of the ceremonial or historic area of Durham, parts of which are covered ...
and
Greater Manchester Police
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England.
, Greater Manchester Police employed 6,866 police officers, 3,524 memb ...
, respectively, said that the law threatened civil liberties and constituted a politically-motivated move towards
paramilitary
A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934.
Overview
Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...
policing. The advocacy group
Liberty
Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...
said the bill "threatens protest". Broadcaster and writer
Kenan Malik
Kenan Malik (born 26 January 1960) is a British writer, lecturer and broadcaster, trained in neurobiology and the history of science. As an academic author, his focus is on the philosophy of biology, and contemporary theories of multiculturalis ...
warned the bill reduced the right to protest to "whispering in the corner".
David Blunkett
David Blunkett, Baron Blunkett, (born 6 June 1947) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Education and Employment from 1997 to 2001, Home Secretary from 2001 to 2004 and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in 2005. ...
, the
Labour Party home secretary from 2001 to 2004, called it an "anti-protest bill" threatening to make Britain look like
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
's Russia.
The bill was based on the 2019 report by the conservative
Policy Exchange
Policy Exchange is a British conservative think tank based in London. In 2007 it was described in ''The Daily Telegraph'' as "the largest, but also the most influential think tank on the right". Policy Exchange is a registered charity; it most ...
think tank, which received in 2017 a $30,000 donation by US-based oil and gas corporation
ExxonMobil
Exxon Mobil Corporation ( ) is an American multinational List of oil exploration and production companies, oil and gas corporation headquartered in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Founded as the Successors of Standard Oil, largest direct s ...
, to target Extinction Rebellion.
After it was reported that other UK-based think tank have received donations by
climate change deniers
Climate change denial (also global warming denial) is a form of science denial characterized by rejecting, refusing to acknowledge, disputing, or fighting the scientific consensus on climate change. Those promoting denial commonly use rhetori ...
,
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party (SNP; ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic party. The party holds 61 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament, and holds 9 out of the 57 Scottish seats in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, ...
MP
Alyn Smith
Alyn Edward Smith (born 15 September 1973) is a Scottish politician. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), he served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stirling from 2019 until 2024 when he unsuccessfully stood for the Stirling and ...
commented this showed
the UK's lobbying laws were not tough enough, saying: "He who pays the piper calls the tune. We urgently need to rewrite the laws governing this sort of sock puppet funding so that we can see who speaks for who."
Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice.
Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...
MP
Caroline Lucas
Caroline Patricia Lucas (born 9 December 1960) is a British politician who was the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales from 2003 to 2006, 2007 to 2012, and 2016 to 2018. She was Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parli ...
commented: "It appears that the Policing Bill is stained with the grubby, oil-soaked hands of the fossil fuel lobby. And no wonder – this cracks down on the fundamental rights of protestors to challenge the very climate-wrecking policies espoused by this downright dangerous industry."
Priti Patel
Dame Priti Sushil Patel (born 29 March 1972) is a British politician who has served as Shadow Foreign Secretary since November 2024, having previously served as Home Secretary from 2019 to 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, she was Secr ...
, who advocated for the policing bill, said it was intended to stop tactics used by
Extinction Rebellion
Extinction Rebellion (abbreviated as XR) is a UK-founded global environmental movement, with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and ...
, which was mistakenly listed as an extremist group by the
South East Counter Terrorism Unit, and continued to defend the decision after the guide was disowned in 2020.
As of January 2022, despite initial "Kill the Bill" protests by grassroots groups, no mass movement opposing this bill has come together.
Protest and riot in Bristol
Thousands of protestors against the bill gathered in
College Green College Green or The College Green may refer to:
* College Green, Adelaide outdoor venue at the University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Establish ...
in
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
city centre on Sunday, 21 March 2021, in violation of COVID-19 restrictions. Some held placards reading "Kill the Bill" amongst other slogans. The protestors marched through the city centre without intervention, before a confrontation between police and a few hundred protestors staging a
sit-in
A sit-in or sit-down is a form of direct action that involves one or more people occupying an area for a protest, often to promote political, social, or economic change. The protestors gather conspicuously in a space or building, refusing to mo ...
at Bridewell Police Station led to an outbreak of violence in which, it was claimed, two assaulted police officers were left with serious injuries.
Police then retracted this statement after a statement from a police spokesperson falsely claimed officers were injured. Police vehicles were set alight and protestors were visually recorded attempting to set fire to a police vehicle with officers inside.
Protestors set off fireworks, and the police station was graffitied and damaged by protesters.
Avon and Somerset Police
Avon and Somerset Police is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement in the five unitary authority areas of Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, Somerset, and South Gloucestershire, all in South West Engla ...
retracted claims on 25 March that any officers suffered broken bones or punctured lungs. There was also controversy over the alleged assault of ''
Daily Mirror
The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...
'' journalist Matthew Dresch on 26 March, as video footage showed him being pushed and hit with a baton while stating that he was a journalist, which police appeared to acknowledge, as well as a woman in her 20s. Later a high-ranking officer with Avon and Somerset "extended apologies" for the incident.
Response
Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees said at the time that it was a "shameful day" for Bristol, and Andy Marsh, the then Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police, said the peaceful protest had been hijacked by "violent extremists and criminals".
An appeal was launched to identify people who had joined in the disorder, and a number of people were convicted as a result. The majority were convicted of rioting, but several were convicted of a different charge.
As of 28 April 2022, fifteen people had been jailed in connection with the riot for a total of 57 years and 11 months.
Further protests
Subsequent "Kill the Bill" protests were held in Bristol on Tuesday 23 March, and Friday 26 March, and in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
and
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...
, on 27 March 2021.
The Easter weekend saw protests in London, Bristol, Leicester, Guildford, Newcastle, Birmingham, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Brighton, Weymouth, and Luton. Advocacy group
Liberty
Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...
said they would take legal action against the
Metropolitan Police following the arrests of two
legal observer
Legal observers are individuals, usually representatives of civilian human rights agencies, who attend Demonstration (people), public demonstrations, protests and other activities where there is a potential for conflict between the public or activi ...
s. Protests have continued since, with a London march on 1 May described as "the biggest 'kill the bill' protest yet".
Further demonstrations took place in cities including London, Bristol, Coventry, Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and Plymouth on Saturday 15 January 2022 ahead of a key vote on the proposed bill on Monday 17 January 2022.
Passage
The bill's
second reading
A reading of a bill is a stage of debate on the bill held by a general body of a legislature.
In the Westminster system, developed in the United Kingdom, there are generally three readings of a bill as it passes through the stages of becoming ...
was on 15–16 March 2021, by 359 votes to 263. As of 30 April, the bill had passed to the
committee stage
An act of Parliament in the United Kingdom is primary legislation passed by the UK Parliament in Westminster, London.
An act of Parliament can be enforced in all four of the UK constituent countries (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ire ...
for consideration by the
public bill committee. The committee was due to report back to the
UK Parliament
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...
by 24 June. ''
The Big Issue
''The Big Issue'' is a United Kingdom–based street newspaper founded by John Bird and Gordon Roddick in September 1991 and published in four continents. ''The Big Issue'' is one of the UK's leading social businesses and exists to offer ho ...
'' subsequently claimed that this date was delayed, partly due to pressure from protests. The
third reading
A reading of a bill is a stage of debate on the bill held by a general body of a legislature.
In the Westminster system, developed in the United Kingdom, there are generally three readings of a bill as it passes through the stages of becoming ...
of the bill was agreed to by the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
on 5 July 2021 by 365 votes to 265, a majority of 100. On 15 December 2021, the House of Lords continued the report stage after accepting a number of amendments.
On 17 January 2022, the Bill came up for debate in the House of Lords amid widespread protests. The Lords subsequently rejected many of the bill's key provisions, with
one peer branding the restrictions on protests "repressive" and "nasty". The bill then went back to the Commons to be discussed and amended.
In February 2022, the Commons again voted in favour of the bill, although several MPs expressed concerns over the restrictions on protests. On 22 March, the House of Lords once again rejected the proposed legislation and demanded that the restrictions on protests be removed, sending the bill back to the House of Commons.
On 26 April 2022, the House of Lords passed the bill by 180 votes to 133. On 28 April 2022, the Act received
Royal Assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in othe ...
.
Impact
On 28 June 2022, the day the act came into force,
anti-Brexit activist
Steve Bray
Steven Nicholas Bray (born 26 June 1969) is a British Liberal Democrats (UK), Liberal Democrat activist from Port Talbot in South Wales who, in 2018 and 2019, made daily protests against Brexit in College Green, London, College Green, Westmins ...
had his amplification equipment seized by police under the
Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011
The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (c. 13) is an Act of Parliament, Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It transfers the control of police forces from police authorities to elected Police and Crime Commissioners. The Eng ...
. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 extended the area around the House of Commons in which protest is restricted under the 2011 act.
See also
*
Nationality and Borders Act 2022
*
Public Order Act 2023
The Public Order Act 2023 (c. 15), referred to during its passage through Parliament as the public order bill and the anti-protest bill, is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which gave law enforcement agencies in the United Kingd ...
*
Censorship in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom censorship has been applied to various forms of expression such as the media, cinema, entertainment venues, literature, theatre and criticism of the monarchy. While there is no general right to free speech in the UK, since ...
*
Human rights in the United Kingdom
Human rights in the United Kingdom concern the fundamental rights in law of every person in the United Kingdom. An integral part of the UK constitution, human rights derive from common law, from statutes such as Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights ...
References
{{reflist
2022 in British politics
Criminal law of the United Kingdom
Courts of the United Kingdom
Freedom of speech in the United Kingdom
Protests in the United Kingdom
Sentencing (law)
United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 2022
Anti-protest law
Political repression in the United Kingdom
Constitutional laws of the United Kingdom